Size Distribution of Trace Elements and Major Ions in the Eastern Mediterranean Atmosphere

Abstract

Size distribution of trace elements is measured at the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, by analyzing hi-vol impactor samples collected between August 1993 and May 1994. Mass median diameters of marine elements are between 4.6 and 5.3 µm, and those of crustal elements are between 3.0 and 3.5 µm. Mass median diameters of crustal elements are 30% smaller in samples impacted by Saharan Dust. Pollution derived elements, As, Cd, Mo, Pb, Se, and Zn have MMD's between 1.25 and 1.01 µm. Although 70-90% of the masses of these elements were associated with particles smaller than 2.1 µm, 10-30% of their mass was associated with coarse particles. Coarse component in concentrations of Cd, Pb, Sb and particulate Hg are due to adsorption of fine anthropogenic particles on coarse crustal aerosol, whereas coarse fraction Zn, As, Se, In, Mo and Au are crustal at Al concentrations >100 ng m −3 . Bromine, Cr, Ni, and V have bimodal distributions. The fine component, which account for approximately 30-40% of their masses are due to anthropogenic sources, whereas the coarse component, which accounts for 30-50% of their masses are due to sea salt for Br, and crustal particles for Cr, Ni, and V.

Temporal variations of Eastern Black Sea Aerosol

“…Coarse to fine ratios of elements is a reflection of their size distribution in the atmosphere. Lead and SO4 2-were reported to have smallest mass median diameter (0.7 μm for Pb and 0.5 μm for SO4 2-) in an impactor study performed at the Eastern Mediterranean (Kuloglu and Tuncel, 2005).…”

“…Concentrations of soil-derived elements, including Al, Si, K, Ca, Ti, V and Fe were higher in the coarse fraction, because soil particles have a mass median diameter between 3.0 -3.5 m (Kuloglu and Tuncel, 2005). Coarse-to-fine ratios of these elements varied between 1.2 for K and 3.1 for Ca.…”

Modelización de las fracciones gruesa y fina de Pb, Cd, As y Ni en el aire en España

“…In this work 6 sizes or bins were used for the following diameter intervals: 0, 0.039, 0.156, 0.625, 2.5, 10 and 40 μm. For each metal, a discretized size distribution was estimated for the fine and coarse fraction, taking into account the PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 concentration measured at the Barcelona monitoring site from 2005 to 2010 (recorded by IDAEA-CSIC group), as well as some studies over Europe (Allen et al, 2001;Kuloglu & Tuncel, 2005;Witt et al, 2010). The concentration vs. size for each metal at Barcelona site is shown in Fig.…”

“…Monitoring sites have started to measure metals in PM10, PM2.5 and PM1. Some studies, such as Allen et al (2001), Kuloglu and Tuncel (2005) and Witt et al (2010) show that metals can be also present in the coarse fraction of particles. In this work we have included a coarse and a fine component of metals in the CHIMERE model; for this purpose we have estimated a contribution of the coarse fraction in the anthropogenic emissions based on the coarse/fine ratio found in observed concentration values, assuming that observed concentration values can provide an idea of emissions for days with a low natural contribution.…”

“…In this work we have included a coarse and a fine component of metals in the CHIMERE model; for this purpose we have estimated a contribution of the coarse fraction in the anthropogenic emissions based on the coarse/fine ratio found in observed concentration values, assuming that observed concentration values can provide an idea of emissions for days with a low natural contribution. Besides he have assigned a size profile to the fine and coarse components for each metal, taking into account studies such as Allen et al (2001), Kuloglu and Tuncel (2005) and Witt et al (2010).…”